CLIMATE OF THE LAST 500 YEARS - HIGH-RESOLUTION ICE CORE RECORDS

Precipitation accumulating on the Earth's ice sheets and ice caps records a variety of physical and chemical information about the atmosphere and, in some cases, provides unique insight to both the history and the mechanics of the Earth's environmental system. High resolution (well-dated) dust records from both polar ice sheets suggest a linkage between increased atmospheric dust and cooler temperatures over Antarctica, but a similar relationship is not observed in ice cores from either Greenland or China. Net accumulation histories for the last 490 years reveal no discernible global pattern although interesting regional differences and similarities exist. Excess (non-sea salt) sulfate profiles provide (SIC)